The present invention relates to an orthopaedic knee brace and more particularly to the construction of a hinge in such a brace.
Orthopaedic knee braces are commonly used during rehabilitation following either injury or surgery and normally include two adjustable hinges, one on either side of a braced knee. Knee braces serve two purposes. Firstly, the brace has to support the knee at all times but especially during movement Secondly, the brace should limit knee movements in flexion or extension within limits beyond which injury to the knee may occur.
Flexion is defined as flexing of the knee from the extended position to a position where the foot and ankle is bent towards the thigh. Extension is defined as being the opposite movement. An extended leg is normally straight with virtually no bending at the knee joint.
Knee braces have been the subject of much design attention and examples of previous proposals are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,088,130; 4,340,041; 5,052,379; 5,107,824 and 5,460,599. The fundamental problem is that each binge has to be capable of being adjusted through a relatively wide range of limits of flexion and extension so as to be able to cater for various different patients and their separate requirements. In the past this has resulted in either very complicated adjustment procedures or in arrangements which cannot reliably maintain the limiting positions. There is thus still a need to provide a hinge for an orthopaedic knee brace which is simple in construction, easy to use and yet reliably maintains the limiting positions for flexion and extension.